More Than Just a Friend
by clslovegood47
Summary: One night after patrol, Plagg challenges Adrien with the question "What if Marinette wasn't just a friend?". This sets into motion a fluff-filled chain of events that leaves Marinette confused, causes Adrien to rethink everything, and has their Kwamis playing matchmaker.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for choosing to read "More Than Just a Friend".

Any comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. They fuel my need to keep writing about these wonderful, lovesick dorks.

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

If you enjoyed this, please check out my other fics!

"Please Tell Me I'm Awake Right Now"

"Chat for a Day"

"The Best Friend Swap"

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

After patrol, Adrien face planted onto his bed and groaned. Plagg watched as his holder mumbled incoherent ramblings into his comforter. There was only so much a Kwami could take, and he was _really_ close to reaching his limit. This kid needed help.

"Adrien," Plagg called out in a sing-song voice.

"Hrrrrmmm," his chosen responded without removing his face from the bedspread.

"You okay there, kid?"

"HRRRRRrrrruuuuGH!"

"So...is that a no?"

Adrien breathed deeply and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I'm frustrated, Plagg."

"Yes," Plagg responded, nodding his head, "That much I can tell."

"I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

"Are you going to make me listen to you talk about it all night?"

The visibly distressed teen ignored the Kwami's question. "It's just...why couldn't Ladybug be someone I know? It would make all of this so much easier!"

Plagg shook his head and sighed. "I will take that as a yes. I guess I should get comfortable."

"You don't understand."

"To be perfectly fair, I rarely understand you."

"She feels so unreachable and yet strangely...close? I don't know anymore. If only she was someone like...Marinette...you know? That would be great!"

Plagg choked on air. "Woah...wait? Why bakery girl? What's so special about her?"

Adrien scrunched his face in thought. "Well, I guess it's because she's already an everyday hero. She's always standing up for others and making sure that everyone feels included. Marinette may get nervous sometimes, but she's also brave, smart, kind, and helpful. She's pretty and super talented. It would be great if Ladybug was someone like her...or even if it was her."

"Are you sure it would be great if it was her? Didn't you tell me that she liked Luka?"

"Plagg, I'm not saying that Marinette _is _Ladybug. I'm saying it would be nice if Ladybug was someone close to me _like _Marinette."

"Kid…"

Adrien walked over to his window and gazed off into the distance. He rested his head against the glass and released a shaky breath.

"Regardless of Luka, it would never work if she was Ladybug. I can't date Marinette...she's just a friend," he said softly, keeping his eyes glued on the Parisian cityscape.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you," Plagg began, "You sounded pretty sad when you said that just now."

His chosen turned around and looked at his Kwami with a befuddled expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Adrien," Plagg cleared his throat, "hear me out. What if...and stay with me on this...what if she wasn't just a friend?"

"I still don't understand."

"Okay...let me try to explain this differently. You are miserable _all the time_ because you can't capture Ladybug's heart. How am I doing so far?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "You're not completely wrong, but I would like to point out that I'm not miserable _all _of the time."

"Kid, that was a yes or no question."

"Just continue explaining."

"Fine. You wish that Ladybug was someone you knew in real life, and you just gave Marinette as an example, and not someone like...angry sword girl."

"Kagami?"

"Yeah, that one."

Adrien huffed. "You and I both know that Kagami definitely isn't Ladybug. She was Akumatized and we fought her...twice!"

Plagg threw his paws into the air. "Still, you said you wished that Ladybug was someone like Marinette. You never said you wanted her to be someone like Kagami."

"I'm still not getting your point."

"What if you tried going out on a date with bakery girl?"

Adrien's eyes grew wide. "No! I can't date Marinette!"

Plagg crossed his arms. "And why not?"

"Because she's just a friend!"

"You obviously have a crush on her."

The black Kwami carefully observed his holder's reaction to his last statement.

Adrien's cheeks were bright red. "No, I don't."

"The fact that you're blushing tells me otherwise," Plagg pointed out.

The teen buried his face in his hands. "I can't have a crush on Marinette! I like Ladybug."

"Did you not just say to me that it would be great if Marinette is Ladybug? Why not give it a shot and see if you're right. Even if she's not your partner and you wind up falling for her, would it be the worst thing in the world? You might even be happy for a change."

"But Marinette is just a…"

Plagg cut him off. "I swear, kid, if you say '_just a friend_' one more time, I'm going to lose it...and the last time that happened Krakatoa erupted."

Adrien fell silent and sat down on his bed. He hung his head low and folded his hands in his lap.

The Kwami decided to try a gentler approach. "Look, for just a moment...I want you to pretend that there's no Ladybug and you're not Chat Noir. Just imagine that you're a normal boy with a normal life. Now, think about what it would be like to date Marinette. She's nice, and she smells like bread. I know she enjoys making things, and her parents seem to like you. You've told her that she's amazing on multiple occasions, and you just told me that you think she's pretty."

Adrien looked up and stared off into the distance. Plagg could see the wheels turning in his chosen's brain, and he really hoped that something would click this time. Suddenly, the teen groaned loudly and doubled over onto the couch.

"Adrien?" Plagg asked after watching his holder moan in anguish for a solid minute.

"No!," he exclaimed, "I can't have a crush on Marinette. I CAN'T, BUT I DO! Why did you have to point out all that stuff to me! She'll never agree to go out with me. She hasn't started a relationship with a single person who's shown interest in her all year, and I'm pretty sure half the class has a crush on her. AND NOW I DO, TOO!"

"I hate to break it to you, but I think you've liked her all along."

"Oh my God, Plagg! I can't like Ladybug _and_ Marinette."

"Sure you can. You were still in love with Ladybug when you took sword girl out on a date...right?"

"I HAVE A CRUSH ON THREE GIRLS? What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Plagg shrugged, "You just have a type."

Adrien sat down in a huff. "I can't ask Marinette out on a date. She doesn't think of me that way. She likes Luka."

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Then you are more than welcome to ask her out."

"I will be humiliated. I don't think I can handle rejection from Ladybug and Marinette."

"Isn't it worth exploring though?"

Adrien shook his head and started walking towards the bathroom. "I can't do this right now. I'm going to get ready for bed."

The tiny, black being chased after him. "Can I at least have some cheese before you go to sleep?"

"PLAGG!"

"What? Giving life advice makes me hungry!"

* * *

Two hours after Adrien fell asleep, Plagg phased through the window and flew into the night. He zipped down the quiet roads and around the corner towards his holder's school. If memory served him correctly, bakery girl was right across the street.

Once he found the bakery, he flew to the top window and phased into the attic room where Marinette lay sleeping in her bed. Plagg scanned the room until his eyes fell on a small red mass curled up in a heap of fabric on a desk.

"Tikki!" he whispered loudly from the other side of the room.

Plagg zoomed over to his counterpart and tapped her with his paw.

"Tikki!" he said with more force while still maintaining an appropriate volume.

The red Kwami began to stir in her sleep. Plagg poked her again, and she finally opened her eyes.

She gave him a confused look. "Plagg? What are you doing here? Are you okay? Is your holder okay?"

"I did something," he said plainly.

Tikki glared at him. "What did you do, Plagg? Don't tell me another species went extinct. First, it was the dinosaurs. Then, it was the dodo birds, and you completely crossed the line when it came to the unicorns."

"You and I both know that those unicorns were a bunch of lying thieves. They had to go."

"They were cute."

"They were monsters."

Tikki took a deep breath and massaged her temples. "We're getting off topic. Please just tell me that the squirrels are still okay."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Yes, the squirrels are fine...for now."

"Just explain to me what you did."

"I may have convinced my boy that he has a crush on your girl."

"Chat Noir has never been quiet about liking Ladybug."

"No," Plagg said, making eye contact, "I made him realize that Adrien likes Marinette."

"Oh," Tikki responded.

"That's it?"

"Does this mean that he figured out Ladybug's identity?"

"No. He came home from patrol and started going on about how he wished that Ladybug was someone he knew 'like Marinette'. I then questioned him on why he chose her out of all his friends, and then I told him to try asking her out."

"How did he take that?"

"He had a full-blown existential crisis. Adrien thinks that Marinette doesn't like him romantically and that she'll turn him down if he asks her on a date."

"Are you kidding? The girl is _obviously_ in love with him."

Plagg shook his head. "He's going to need proof. He's that kind of guy."

Tikki paused before answering. "The Valentine."

"What about it?"

"Marinette wrote it."

He curled his lips into a smile. "I knew it! But we don't have any concrete evidence that it's from her. I'm telling you, he's not going to believe me unless I have something irrefutable to show him. Not even a sample of her handwriting will be enough."

Tikki formed her own mischievous grin. "Do you really think that the Valentine he got was the only draft?"

The red Kwami zoomed over to the trunk on the opposite side of the room. She phased through the top, cracked open the lid, and slid a slightly crumpled paper onto the floor. Plagg flew over to the chest and began examining the paper. He saw that it had three different drafts of the Valentine poem, "Marinette Agreste" scribbled in the margins, and a drawing of a smiling hamster.

Plagg looked up at his counterpart. "This is perfect."

Tikki gave him a serious look. "Now, I have nothing against them finding happiness and starting to date each other, but we will need to make sure that they are careful when it comes to their identities. They can't know."

"What if...just try to follow me here," Plagg began, "what if they did?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if they knew each other's identities? Would it be that bad? Fox Girl and Turtle Boy learned each other's identities, and they're doing great."

"But Master Fu…"

He cut her off. "Doesn't have to live with them. He doesn't see what I see. You asked me if my holder was okay when I came here tonight. You want to know the truth? No, he's not. His dad sucks and he's always alone. Here we have two kids who love each other and they don't even realize it! Do you know how much better their relationship will be? They'll become better partners and heroes."

Tikki softened her expression. "You really care about him."

"I always care about my cats, but that doesn't mean that I won't have fun with them along the way."

"Maybe...maybe you're right."

Plagg grinned. "What was that, Sugarcube? I didn't quite catch that."

Tikki rolled her eyes and sighed. "I said that maybe you're right."

"Finally! You admit it."

"I'm not saying that you're always right. You just so happen to be right this one time."

"Come on! There were plenty of other times that I was correct! I was right about Archduke Franz Ferdinand."

"No, you weren't."

"Oh, yes I was."

"You started World War I."

"Agree to disagree."

"Fine," Tikki said, making a dismissive gesture, "So, what are we supposed to do now? Are we just going to let them figure it out on their own?"

"No, we nudge them. They need help," Plagg explained, "I will give this paper to Adrien tomorrow morning, and I will try to convince him to ask out Marinette."

"How is that going to help them figure out each other's identities?"

"We're just going to have to improvise when opportunities arise. It's not like we haven't done that before."

"Okay. I'll do my best with Marinette. I'll try to figure something out."

"Just think, once they're a couple, we'll get to spend more time together." Plagg nuzzled Tikki as he spoke.

"I've missed you, too, Stinky Sock."

With the paper in hand, Plagg flew over to the window that led to the balcony. Tikki followed behind closely.

Before phasing through the glass, he turned to the red Kwami. "Just one more thing. Adrien feels like he can be himself when he's Chat Noir. There are very few people in his civilian life who see that side of him. Ladybug has turned him down more than once. I have to ask...how does she really feel about her partner?"

Tikki smiled as she responded. "She values his friendship and cares for him deeply. While she gets frustrated by his recklessness and when he jokes around during a fight, she has a soft spot for the cat. She won't admit it, but I think she's starting to fall for him."

Plagg beamed. "Good. We might just be able to make this work."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read "More Than Just a Friend".

Thank you so much for all of the comments. Your kindness made my heart feel so full! You are all wonderful!

This fic was inspired by gale-of-the-nomads 's chat post on Tumblr.

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

Adrien groaned as his 5:45 a.m. alarm pierced the quiet and disrupted his slumber. He reached for his phone and stopped the incessant ringing with a tap of his finger.

Kicking off the bedsheets, he sat up and ran his hands through his golden locks. He could still feel leftover product crusted in his hair from yesterday's photoshoot. Adrien proceeded to swing his feet over the side of his bed and trudge over to the bathroom.

After a half-hour, Adrien was showered and dressed, but he still felt exhausted. Last night had been emotionally draining, and he was not in the mood to go to school.

He looked at his phone and saw that he had about 15 minutes before Nathalie would knock on his door to brief him on his daily schedule. He decided to use this time to check the Ladyblog.

Upon sitting down at his computer, Plagg dropped something on his keyboard. Adrien frowned.

"Plagg," he began, massaging his brow bone with his fingertips, "what are you doing with the Valentine I got last year?"

"You and I need to talk," Plagg responded.

"About the Valentine?"

"Yes...and Marinette."

Adrien felt his heart thump in his chest. "I thought we agreed to not talk about _that_ anymore."

Plagg shook his head. "Nope. I did no such thing. _You _decided to go to bed after realizing you had a crush on her and claimed that she would never like you back."

"Because it's true."

"No, it's not."

"I can't be rejected by two girls, Plagg. It would break me."

"You wouldn't be rejected."

"Fine. If you can prove it, I'll ask her out today."

The Kwami grinned mischievously and threw the paper Tikki had given him the night before on top of the Valentine. "Done."

Adrien picked up the second paper and unfolded it. "What is this?"

"Those are the first few drafts of the Valentine. If you look closely, you will see that this paper belongs to Marinette...a girl who is most definitely in love with you."

"Is this real?"

"Yes."

Adrien put the paper down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. "How...how did you get this?"

"It doesn't matter." Plagg waved his hand dismissively. "I have my sources."

"Should I be concerned?"

"No, you should be grateful. A powerful, magical, and ancient being just gave you the key to your happiness. Don't question it."

Adrien smiled at Plagg and scratched him behind the ear. "Thanks. You really do care about me don't you?"

The Kwami flew over to Adrien's face and nuzzled his cheek. "Kid, I always have...but that doesn't change the fact that I am expecting you to give me extra cheese."

"I guess you've earned it," Adrien shrugged with a smile.

"Good because I'm going to need a snack while I watch you ask bakery girl out on a date."

"Oh, no…I said I was going to do that...why did I say that?"

"Adrien, listen to me. You have to go through with this."

"I don't know if I can."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes, but I also still like Ladybug. What am I supposed to do?"

"Ladybug has already turned you down more than once. Go ask out Marinette and experience what it's like to be happy for once."

Adrien walked to his bed and flopped over face first. "HRRRRRGGGH!"

He was frustrated, and it felt like his brain was on fire. How was he supposed to ask out Marinette? When he told Ladybug how he felt, he'd been planning that for days. This time, he only had a few hours to find the confidence to do this.

Something small poked his cheek, forcing him away from his thoughts. "Not this again! Kid, get up off your bed and look at me."

Adrien obliged with a moan. "I can't do this, Plagg."

"You asked out sword girl on a date. How is this any different?"

"It's not the same. I knew that Marinette was going to be there...oh, I really have liked her all along, haven't I?"

"Yes...yes, you have. You told me yourself that Marinette is sweet and kind."

"And talented, brave, and beautiful...she's amazing. She's our everyday Ladybug. How am I supposed to ask her out?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Why don't you ask hat boy for help? Isn't he going out with her best friend?"

Adrien's eyes lit up. "Plagg, you're a genius!"

"Tell me something I don't know," the Kwami mumbled to himself.

Before Adrien had the chance to respond, a knock sounded at the door. Moments later, Nathalie stepped through the threshold. With her tablet in hand, she informed him that it was time for breakfast. He made his way to the dining room, and once he was seated, his father's assistant began spouting off his activities for the day.

"After school, you have a photoshoot. At five o'clock you will have time to eat dinner, and then at 6 o'clock you have a Chinese lesson." She hugged her device close to her chest when she finished her briefing.

"Nathalie," Adrien began, "Do you know what my schedule looks like tomorrow? I was wondering if I would have any time to hang out with a...uhm...friend."

She moved the tablet away from her body and tapped the screen a few times. "You have fencing at four o'clock, but after that, it appears that you have some free time. May I ask who you want to spend time with and what you plan on doing?

Adrien blushed. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I'm not sure what we'll be doing yet. I still have to ask her."

The assistant did her best to hide a smirk. "I will ask your father if it's okay."

"Thank you, Nathalie."

"You have about 20 minutes before you have to leave for school. Do you have any more questions for me?"

Adrien thought for a moment, and the perfect plan to ask out Marinette popped into his mind. "Do you think it would be okay if I didn't come home for lunch today?"

"That should be fine. Anything else?"

"Nope! Thanks again!"

Nathalie nodded and left Adrien to eat by himself. A strange mix of nervousness and excitement settled in his gut that made him lose his appetite. He poked around at the food on his plate until it was time to go.

Adrien grabbed his belongings and got into the car. The drive to school was far too short today. By the time he stepped out of the vehicle, his palms were sweaty and his hands were shaking. He took a deep breath and did his best to calm himself down.

He scanned the courtyard and saw Nino standing alone. As Adrien walked towards him, his best friend waved.

"Hey, bro! What's up?" The DJ paused and knitted his eyebrows in concern. "Dude, you don't look too good."

"Hey, Nino," Adrien swallowed hard, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"No...yes...I mean, no...uhm...well, yes. Something happened, and I think I'm okay...or at least I will be...I hope."

"Okay, bro, now you're scaring me."

Adrien shook his head. "No...it's not a bad thing. I kind of need your help though."

"Alright, dude, spit it out."

"You know how Marinette is just a friend?"

"Yeah…"

"What if she wasn't just a friend?"

Nino threw his head back and closed his eyes. "Finally."

Adrien looked at him with wide eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We have been waiting for this day. Bro, Alya is going to FLIP."

"You...you knew this was going to happen?"

"Duh. Marinette is so obviously in love with you that it hurts to watch, and you keep giving her your signature soft eyes."

"My what now?"

Nino demonstrated. "It goes a little something like this."

Adrien buried his face in his hands. "Ugh, no! Do I really look at her like that?"

"All the time, dude."

"I want to ask her out during our lunch break, but I need to talk to her alone. She's always with Alya. Could you help me?"

"Say no more. I got you."

Adrien slumped over, breathed out, and smiled. He then looked back up at Nino. "Thank you. Now I just need to not freak out."

Nino put his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Dude...did you not hear me when I said that she's in love with you? Besides, you're literally a famous model. If you can pose for all those pictures and do all those interviews, you can talk to a girl."

"That's different. _Marinette_ is different...she's special."

The warning bell rang, and both boys looked at each other. Nino pulled out his phone and looked at the time.

"And now she's late," Nino remarked, "At least it'll give us time to talk to Alya. Come on, let's go to class."

As Adrien and Nino took their seats, Alya strutted into the classroom, walked up to Nino, gave him a peck on the lips, and sat down behind him.

"Good morning, boys," she said as she pulled out her things and set them on the desk.

Nino turned around to look at his girlfriend. "Hey, babe. Do you by chance know where Marinette is?"

Alya looked at her phone. "No, not at the moment, but she'll probably run in here just as the final bell starts ringing. You know how she rolls."

"So, that means we have about two minutes to talk about this."

"What's going on?"

"Adrien has something to say...don't you Adrien?"

"Okay...let's hear it, Sunshine."

Adrien turned around and opened his mouth to speak. Nothing but a strained croak escaped his lips. He promptly turned around and laid his head in his arms. His face was on fire, and it felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest.

"Is this about Marinette?" Alya asked, her voice rising with excitement.

Despite his embarrassment, Adrien lifted his head and looked at Alya. "Yes."

She turned to Nino. "Is what's happening right now what I think is happening?"

Nino shook his head in affirmation, and Alya squealed.

"Okay, what do you need me to do? I've waited too long for this moment to just sit back and do nothing." She was beaming.

Adrien gave her a half-smile. "I need to talk to Marinette alone at lunch. Is there any way you could help me out with that?"

"Got it!" She gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, lover boy, we'll help you get the girl!"

* * *

"Marinette! That's the third time you've hit snooze on your phone. You have to get up!" a small voice exclaimed.

The teen rolled over on her pillow. "Tikki...do I really have to get out of bed? I'm so tired."

"Maybe next time you and Chat Noir won't stay out so late on patrol."

"Ugh...we just started talking, and time kind of got away from us. I think he's lonely, and I want to be a good friend."

"Right now it's time for you to be a good student. You have 20 minutes before school starts."

Marinette reluctantly slipped out of bed and climbed down the ladder. She shivered as her feet touched the cold, wooden floors. She threw open her closet, chose her clothes, and got dressed. Ten minutes later, she was ready for the day

She looked at the clock on her computer and panicked. There were less than five minutes until the start of the school day. Marinette quickly gathered her things and bounded down the stairs. She grabbed a pastry from the kitchen as she ran out of her home. After looking both ways, she then sprinted across the street and into the school.

As the final bell rang, she entered the classroom an took her seat. She collapsed into a heap on top of her desk. All Marinette wanted to do was keep her eyes closed and nap. Instead, her personal bubble was rudely invaded by something poking her cheek.

"You okay, girl?" Alya laughed.

Keeping her head on the desk, Marinette turned towards her friend. "Ugh...yeah. I'm just exhausted. There is nothing that anyone can do right now to make me feel more awake."

"Mmmhmm, we'll see about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Adrien turned around and gave her a nervous smile. "Good morning, Marinette! Are you feeling okay today? I hope you are...if not, is there anything I can do for you? You look kind of tired...not that you look bad! NO...you never look bad. What I mean to say is you look pretty. You always do though...I already said that, didn't I? Also, your hair looks nice. It must be really soft...ugh no, that's weird. Sorry...nevermind." He looked away from her and slumped in his seat.

Nino slapped his forehead. "Dude."

Alya laughed while Marinette's face turned a bright, fiery red. She looked at her best friend with pleading eyes that were begging for an explanation. She definitely felt awake now.

The Ladyblogger snorted and shrugged. "Today is definitely going to be interesting."

Before Marinette could demand clarification from Alya, Miss Bustier walked into the classroom and started to teach. Marinette spent the entire morning in a haze of confusion. She tried to pay attention in class, but all her attempts were futile. By lunchtime, it felt like days had passed, not hours.

"Today, Nino and I are going to eat lunch together," Alya announced, "I'll see you after the lunch break."

"But I wanted to...oh...okay," Marinette responded while watching her best friend grab Nino's hand and rush out of the classroom, "Uhm...I guess I'll see you later."

She released a defeated huff while she watched the pair disappear around the corner. Suddenly, a gentle hand touched her arm causing her to snap her gaze away from the door. An explosion of butterflies consumed her insides as she looked up at a visibly anxious Adrien who stood before her.

"Hey, Marinette," he scratched the back of his head with his other hand, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"O-o-okay. You're totally fine...I MEAN...that's fine. I can talk." She swallowed hard.

All the tenseness in Adrien's face seemed to melt away, and a loving smile was left in its place. It was a look that made Marinette's heart skip a beat. She was starting to feel lightheaded, but she knew that now was a _really _bad time to pass out. She needed to get her emotions under control if she was going to survive the next few minutes.

"_You can do this Marinette_," she thought to herself, "_Just pretend he's Chat Noir...yeah...they kind of look alike. You can talk to Chat. They're both boys...talking to Adrien is basically the same thing._" She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"Would you mind if I sat down next to you?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, of course!" She quickly scooted to the other side of the bench and gestured for Adrien to join her.

"Okay," he placed his hands on the desk and turned his head to look at her, "I...uhm...don't know exactly how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. I like you, Marinette...like a lot, and I didn't realize how much I liked you until now. I mean, how could I not? It's so easy to like you. You're beautiful, kind, and talented...like you impressed my dad, and that's amazing. Even I have a hard time doing that, and also...wait...I'm getting off track...sorry. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would really like to go out with you sometime...please."

Marinette felt her brain short-circuit and re-boot rapidly. "_So much for trying to stay calm_."

She blinked several times and attempted to find the words to say. "You mean...like a date?"

Adrien's face turned pink while he fiddled with his fingers on the desk. "Yes."

Marinette stared at him with wide eyes. "Oh…I..."

"It's okay if you don't want to! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. This was stupid...just ignore me. We can forget this ever happened. I'm sorry." He pursed his lips in disappointment.

"NO!" she shook her head, "No...I would love to. I...uhh...I really like...you...too."

Adrien's entire face brightened. His eyes twinkled with excitement while he bit his lip and smiled. "Really?"

"Yes...really."

"Wow...okay, are you free right now? There's a bistro around the corner that's supposed to have really good food, and I've always wanted to try it."

"That sounds nice. Give me a second to text my parents and let them know that I won't be home for lunch."

While she messaged her mom, Adrien slid off of the bench and slung Marinette's belongings over his shoulder.

She was taken aback by the gesture. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I can get it. It's probably really heavy."

He tightened his grip on her backpack. "No, please...allow me. I've always wanted to do this for someone."

Marinette felt her blush return with a vengeance. "Alright...thank you, Adrien."

She got up from the seat and he rushed to her side.

"Would it be okay if I held your hand?" he asked quietly.

"I would like that." Marinette squeaked excitedly when she felt his fingers lace around her own.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Shall we?"

Marinette nodded her head enthusiastically as he guided her down the stairs and out of the classroom.

"_Alya was right_," she thought, "_This is going to be an interesting day_."


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read "More Than Just a Friend". I apologize for taking so long with this update. I focused on finishing "The Best Friend Swap" for a while.

Thank you so much for all of the comments. Your kindness makes my heart feel full! You are all wonderful!

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

Marinette did her best to control her breathing as she and Adrien walked out of the classroom. She stared at the ground in an attempt to not trip down the stairs as they exited the school grounds; however, her foot got caught on the last step, causing her to lose her balance. Before she had the chance to hit the ground, Adrien let go of her hand, moved in front of her, and allowed her to crash into his chest. While she was there, two strong arms wrapped around her. She could feel his heart racing as she melted into his embrace.

Placing his hands on her arms, Adrien took a step back and looked into her eyes. "Are you okay? You didn't hurt anything, did you?"

Her words failed her, and all she could do was shake her head. Marinette could feel her face turn red and tears form in the corners of her eyes. In an attempt to hide her embarrassment, she once again turned her face towards the ground.

A gentle hand lifted her chin as a tear rolled down her cheek. Adrien wiped it away and gave her a worried look. "Are you sure you're okay? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Marinette choked out, "It's just...I...ugh." She scrunched her face in frustration as she felt the rest of her sentence get stuck in the back of her throat.

"It's just me. You can tell me what's bothering you."

"I know it's you. That's the problem!"

"Oh." He dropped his hands to his sides and turned away from her. "I guess you don't like me like that after all. It's fine. You don't have to go out with me just to make me feel good."

"NO!" Marinette took a deep breath and adjusted her volume before continuing. "That's not it. I...you...I...Ijustgetreallynervousaroundyou, okay!"

A grin spread across his face. "You know, I'm pretty nervous, too."

"Yes, but you don't keep tripping over your words and your feet. I'm such a klutz. I just know I'm going to ruin something, and then you'll want nothing to do with me."

"Marinette, that will never be the case. I won't stop liking you just because you're a little clumsy sometimes. If anything, I think it's kind of cute."

She smiled. "Really?"

Adrien reached out and took her hand again. "Yes, really."

"You think I'm cute?"

"I think you're adorable."

"Well, I think you're pretty handsome. I've uhhh...liked you for...umm...a really long time."

His eyes grew wide. "You have? I honestly never noticed. Ugh...I'm so stupid."

Marinette took his other hand. "No, you are not! You are kind and sweet. I've always been too scared to tell you how I felt. That's why I'm always so weird around you, and I guess I still am. I was hoping it would stop if we ever went out on a date, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong. I would do anything to make you feel more comfortable around me. What can I do? Say the word, and I will do whatever it is."

Marinette couldn't stop the smile from spreading even further across her face. "Do you even realize how wonderful you are?"

"And you're incredible. I'm serious though. What can I do to make you feel better when you're around me?"

"Maybe...just be patient? I'll get there, but it might take a little while."

"Anything you need. And look! You're already doing better with talking to me."

She beamed. "You're right! I didn't even notice!"

He leaned in, causing Marinette's blush to deepen in hue. "You have a beautiful smile, Marinette."

"I..hrmph...I...th...granks...I MEAN...thanks." She sighed.

He chuckled. "How about we go get our lunch now? We can keep talking once we get there."

They walked hand in hand down the sidewalk until they reached the small bistro at the corner. Once they were seated and they had ordered their food, Adrien reached across the table and took Marinette's hand. She felt her heart thump loudly as he stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

When she looked up, she was greeted by eyes filled with adoration and a soft, charming smile. She bit her lip and looked away.

"Can I ask you something?" she said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.

"Anything," he responded.

"That one time...after the wax museum...you said that you were in love with a girl. If you were telling me about her, I'm guessing that it wasn't me. What about her? Do you still have feelings for her? Is it Kagami?"

"Woah...that's a lot of questions."

"Sorry."

"Again, no need to be sorry. No, I'm not in love with Kagami. I would be lying if I said I didn't find her attractive at one point, but she's just a friend. Ugh...I say that a lot don't I?"

"Yeah, you do. You said that about me a few times. I guess I'm still trying to figure out what changed."

"Honestly, I don't think anything _changed_. It's more like I finally figured out that something was there all along." Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "But the wax museum...hmmm. That was a long time ago. Okay, I remember that day. That's when the Puppeteer came back, and that's also when you...oh yeah."

She removed her hand from his and felt her whole body tense. "_Please_ don't remind me. I've been trying to forget about that since it happened. I've done a lot of things I'm not exactly proud of when it comes to my crush on you."

"But that means that you really did mean all those things you said to me. You always denied it. Kind of like the time I found out about photographs on your wall."

"Once again, not my best moment."

"Truthfully, I assumed that you liked Luka."

"Luka did kind of declare his love for me at one point, but my heart kept coming back to you. I almost took your posters down a few times. I'm sorry that I even had them in the first place."

"Stop apologizing, Marinette. I don't mind the posters. It's kind of endearing. Besides, I know that you like me for more than just my looks and the fact that I'm a model...right?"

"Of course I do! My crush didn't start until you gave me your umbrella and showed me a kindness that I probably didn't deserve. After we met, I didn't want to give you the time of day, and then you showed up with your honesty and chivalry. Your sincerity is what made me fall for you. Now, you're telling me that you liked me all along, but you still haven't told me about this girl you're supposedly in love with."

Adrien paused for a moment. "I think I didn't realize that I had feelings for you because I was blinded by my crush on this other girl."

Marinette looked down and played with the napkin on her lap. "Should I be worried about her?"

"Ummm...no?"

"You still like her."

He sighed. "It's complicated, and I don't know how to describe the situation to you without sounding crazy."

She flicked up her eyes. "There are Akumas that terrorize Paris several times a week. My grandfather literally turned into bread once. I think everybody can handle crazy nowadays."

"Okay...please try not to laugh, but I kind of had a thing for...Ladybug." He fiddled with his fork and knife on the table while he spoke.

She felt her brain short-circuit. "What?"

"It's not what you think! I promise. Not a lot of people know this, but I've had the chance to work pretty closely with her. Over the past year, I've gotten to know her, and she reminds me of you actually. That's why I consider you our everyday Ladybug."

"That's very...interesting. I heard she doesn't get close to many people."

"I guess I got lucky. I trust her with my life, and I'd like to think she trusts me in return."

Adrien's words struck Marinette. She could tell that he wasn't lying...at least not to himself. He genuinely believed what he was saying, but it couldn't be true. Marinette could count on her hands the number of times she'd interacted with Adrien while transformed. It's not like she had lengthy conversations with him as Ladybug. The only person she's talked to extensively (other than Alya during an interview) was Chat.

"So, if you had the chance to be with Ladybug, would you still go for it?" she said after taking a moment to soak in his last statement.

"Not if I'm with you," he responded without hesitation, "I would never do something like that to you Marinette. You mean too much to me. I care about you, and I meant it when I said I want you to feel comfortable around me. Truthfully, I would do anything for you."

"Wait…with me? You want to be _with me_?" She swallowed hard. "Does that mean...we're...t-together?"

A rosy tint appeared on his cheeks. "Ummm...only if you want to be."

"I...I would really like that. I would like that a lot, but what about Ladybug."

"Ladybug has told me countless times that she doesn't like me romantically, and I respect that."

"When did she tell you that she didn't like you?"

"Uhhh...don't worry about it. Just know that I decided to seek out happiness, and I discovered that pursuing a relationship with you would bring me joy. I've given up my quest to win Ladybug's heart because I realized that I want to be with you. I'll always love her in some way, but that love seems to be changing now that I've opened my heart to new possibilities. She suddenly feels more like a best friend or maybe a family member."

Marinette was definitely worried about it; however, that feeling was being drowned out by the unbridled joy that came with the prospect of being with Adrien.

"Okay," she said finally.

"Really? So, does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?" His eyes lit up.

She nodded her head. Within seconds, Adrien hopped out of his seat, picked Marinette up from her chair, and spun her around. Once they stopped moving, he held her in a tight embrace.

"Stop!" she giggled, "People are watching!"

"I don't care," he buried his face against her neck, "I never thought I could be this happy about something."

Marinette snaked her arms around Adrien gave him a small squeeze. This caused him to release a happy hum. She was giddy with joy, and she never wanted this moment to end.

When they broke apart and returned to their respective seats, their food arrived. After a few minutes, Marinette noticed that Adrien had eaten more than half of the food on his plate.

"If you don't slow down, you're going to give yourself a stomach ache," she noted, "Trust me. Learn from my mistakes."

He took another giant bite from his sandwich and looked up at her. Adrien hastily finished chewing and swallowed. "Jeez. I'm sorry. You must think I have no manners."

"Quite the opposite. I know you have impeccable table manners. That's why I'm a little bit concerned."

"I didn't really eat breakfast this morning. I was too on edge."

"About what?"

"Talking to you. I was petrified. I'm relieved that you actually like me back. I wasn't sure at first, but once I was positive that you had feelings for me, I made the decision to ask you out on a date. Once you said yes, my appetite came back with a vengeance."

"That's another thing I've been meaning to ask you...how did you know that I had a crush on you? You didn't figure it out before...wait, did someone tell you? Was it Nino?"

Adrien shook his head. "No...well, yes. He did tell me that you liked me, but that was after I figured it out."

Marinette knitted her brows in confusion. "Then, how did you find out?"

"I kind of discovered that this unsigned Valentine that I got last year was from you."

"Oh...yeah, I kind of had a habit of sending you things without signing them for a while. I got better though."

"Does that mean that there are other things you have given me that I don't know are from you?"

"Maybe."

"Can I ask what they are?"

"Ummm...the scarf you thought was from your father. It's the blue one you got for your birthday. You were so happy when you thought it was from him, and I didn't want to take that away from you. I probably shouldn't have told you that because now you're going to be upset."

He softened his expression. "No, I'm happy that you told me. Thank you. Yes, I'm a little sad that it's not from my father, but knowing that you cared about me enough to let someone else take credit for your work...wow. What did I do to deserve having someone as amazing as you in my life?"

Marinette squeaked. "I...hrugh...gah...you…wonderful.

"You okay there?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I think I need a moment." She sighed.

Adrien chuckled. "Take all the time you need, Princess. I'll always be here for you."

Something snapped inside of Marinette's brain. The familiarity of his tone was difficult to place, but it soothed her nerves, nonetheless.

Then it hit her. It was the nickname he had just used. She suddenly remembered where she'd heard it before.

"_What is it with blond boys calling me 'Princess'_?" she thought.

"I didn't catch what you said just now," Adrien began, "Could you repeat that?"

"Oh, no...I didn't say that out loud did I?"

"I'm afraid so. Is it something you didn't want me to hear?"

"No, it's fine. You just said something that reminded me of someone else. It's not a big deal."

Much to her relief, Adrien shrugged and returned to eating his sandwich. By the time they finished, they had fifteen minutes to get back to school.

Adrien insisted on paying, and after some protesting, Marinette let him. He took her hand again as they walked out of the bistro and onto the busy sidewalk.

"So," he began, "I would like to take you out on a date."

She looked up at him. "Wasn't this a date?"

"I guess it was, but I want to take you out on a bigger date. We could get dinner, go to the movies, and maybe get ice cream. As nice as it was to eat lunch together, it's the middle of the school day. I would love to spend more than just two hours with you."

"T-that sounds grice...I mean NICE. Ugh...I started to say 'great', but then the word ended the wrong way. I'm hopeless."

"No, you're not. I'm also thinking that if we spend more time together that you'll become more comfortable around me. I want you to feel safe."

"You do make me feel safe, Adrien. I know that you'd never let anything happen to me. I'm just still processing all of this. Sometimes, you say things that are so cute that they make my brain melt. So, I'll get there. I don't feel uncomfortable...just anxious."

"If being with me makes you anxious, are you sure that you'll be happy dating me?"

"Oh, Adrien." She stopped walking and flung her arms around him. "So, I'm awkward and clumsy around you sometimes. It doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you. Words cannot express how happy I am to be your..._girlfriend_!" She squealed the last word, causing Adrien to laugh and nuzzle his cheek on the top of her head.

"OH MY!" Alya's exclaimed behind them, "Don't you two look cozy! I'm guessing that lunch went well? Are you two an item now?"

Marinette turned towards her best friend and nodded her head vigorously. The Ladyblogger grabbed Marinette, and the two girls spun around and laughed.

"Dude," Nino said, clapping Adrien on the back, "We should totally double date. That would be _sick_."

"That would be awesome," Adrien replied, "but I need to take Marinette out on a real date first. We were just talking about it."

The warning bell sounded, causing the four teens to ascend the stairs into the school.

"Well, we can finish talking about it later," Marinette suggested as she opened the classroom door.

Still holding her hand, Adrien guided her into the classroom. Upon entering, several gasps and a soft "finally" could be heard throughout the room. Seconds later, a loud, ear-shattering screech sounded behind them.

"Oh yeah," he whispered, "I forgot about Chloe."

Marinette turned around to see the red-faced heiress marching their way; however, an angry Chloe was not the sight that made her blood boil. Her gaze landed on a scowling Lila standing in the doorway, causing her to tighten her grip on Adrien's hand.

"I'm not worried about Chloe. I can handle her, but I do have to tell you something...and I don't think you're going to like it."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read "More Than Just a Friend".

Do you remember when I said that LadyNoir would be in this chapter? Well, let's just say that this chapter got a little long, and it is definitely going to be in Chapter 5. (I'm almost done writing it, so have no fear!)

Thank you so much for all of the comments. You are all wonderful!

This fic was inspired by gale-of-the-nomads 's chat post on Tumblr.

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

"What do you mean I'm not going to like it?" Adrien whispered into her ear.

Marinette took another look at the fuming terror-in-yellow storming towards them and groaned. "I'll tell you at the end of the day. Can you wait in the classroom for a few minutes?"

He nodded. However, before he had the chance to properly respond, Chloe dramatically planted her feet on the floor. She scowled at Marinette.

"And what do you think you are doing, Dupain-Cheng? What did you say to Adrikins? I know you're in love with him, but did you actually think that he would want you hanging on his arm like that?" Chloe screeched as she shot out her hand in an attempt to grab Adrien,

He took a step back and successfully avoided the heiress. "First of all, Marinette is welcome to hold onto my arm whenever she wants. In fact, I really like it. Second, I know she has a crush on me. I have a crush on her, too. Finally, I don't feel comfortable with you talking to my girlfriend that way, Chloe."

"GIRLFRIEND! Are you kidding me! That's utterly ridiculous!" she growled.

Adrien crossed his arms. "No, what's ridiculous is how you're acting right now. We've known each other for a long time, but you need to be more respectful to Marinette. Otherwise, I don't think we can be friends anymore, and I don't want to lose you as a friend."

She paused before speaking again. "Did it really have to be Marinette?"

"Yes, and she makes me happy. Do you remember the time my mom took us to the park and you thought that you lost Mr. Cuddly? Remember how you felt when you found him by the swings? You were so happy that you cried."

Chloe's scowl softened into a bittersweet smile. "Then we got ice cream, and you dibbled it all over your shirt. You thought your dad was going to be so mad, but he wasn't. That was a good day. We haven't had too many of those recently...have we?"

Adrien reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "No, we haven't. This is the best day I've had in a long time."

She slumped and grumbled something to herself before turning to Marinette. "This doesn't change anything between us, _Dupain-Cheng_, but if you can make him happy, then I guess I'll put up with it...for now."

"I don't know, Chloe," Lila walked over to the group and crossed her arms, "I think you might be right."

"Ew," Chloe scrunched her nose in disgust, "Why are _you _talking to us?"

Lila ignored her. "How do you know that Marinette is really good for you, Adrien? I hate to tell you this, but she has a pretty creepy crush on you. I have pictures if you want to see them."

He shook his head. "No thank you, Lila. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to take our seats. Class is about to start."

Adrien placed his hand on the small of Marinette's back and guided her towards their seats as the final bell rang. Ms. Mendeleiv is a stickler for punctuality, and she expects her students to be ready to learn the second class is slated to begin.

Luckily, the pair sat down before their teacher had the chance to reprimand them. However, much to his chagrin, Adrien found his mind wandering for the duration of the class. He didn't take a single note, and he didn't retain anything from the lecture. The thought of what Marinette had to tell him haunted his mind until the end of the school day.

While the rest of the students emptied out of the classroom, Adrien walked to Marinette's table and sat in the chair next to her.

He cast her a worried glance and placed a hand on her arm. "I only have about ten minutes before I have to go to my photoshoot. Will that be enough time for you to tell me what's going on?"

Marinette hung her head. "Yes. This won't take long."

"Okay...so, what is it?" he asked softly.

She looked up. "Please don't hate me."

He could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Adrien instantly wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her forever, but there was barely even enough time to talk as it was. So, he settled for taking her hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"Marinette," he said reverently, "I don't think I could ever hate you. I feel quite the opposite actually. You mean the world to me."

She blushed and took a deep breath. "So, it's actually a few things. First, you know how Lila is faker than Velveeta Cheese wearing a mustache at a dairy convention?"

"Weird comparison, but yeah."

"Well, before she became Chameleon, Lila cornered me in the bathroom and threatened to turn all my friends against me. She then told me that I would never have a chance with you. Because of this, I was almost Akumatized, but I calmed down before anything happened. Immediately after that, she fell under Hawkmoth's control...again."

"Wait...she _threatened _you? Why didn't you say anything? I wouldn't have said what I did. That's not okay. God, I'm so sorry. When she came over to my house, she got Nathalie and my bodyguard in trouble with her lies. I was so mad that I told her that if she was going to hurt the people I love that I wouldn't help her with anything anymore."

"No would have believed me."

"I believed you. I even told you that I did. I knew she wasn't telling the truth. It's one thing to lie, but it's another thing to tell someone that you're going to destroy her life. I wish I had known what she did to you before she invited herself over to my house. I probably would have warned my bodyguard to not let her come near me."

Marinette looked down. "That's actually part of the second thing that I wanted to tell you."

Adrien frowned. "There's more?"

"Yeah, remember how I said that there are some things I did that I'm not exactly proud of? One of those things happened the day she went over to your house. You see, I knew that Lila was more than just a liar, and I didn't want to see you get hurt like I did. So, I may have followed you, and Lila got a picture of me in a pile of fallen trash cans outside of your house. I'm sorry...I should have trusted you. You can take care of yourself, and I let my crush get out of hand."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dismissed Lila so easily. Please let me know if she says anything threatening to you in the future. I don't know what we'd do about it, but I'm sure we would be able to figure out a solution together. Something tells me that you and I would make a pretty good team."

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you're not mad about me following you?"

Adrien chuckled. "No, I'm not. I have to admit, it's a little strange, but I know that you had the best intentions. Next time come and talk to me."

"I still have trouble forming words around you now. How was I supposed to talk to you back then? I would have combusted. Honestly, I thought you were going to be angry at me and not want to go out with me anymore."

"That's what you thought I'd be angry at? Oh, Marinette, no!" Adrien pulled her into a hug. (He no longer cared that they were running out of time to talk. He needed her to know how much he cared about her.) "The only thing that I'm upset about right now is the fact that Lila hurt the most important person in my life."

She buried her face into his chest. "I'm the most important person in your life?"

"Yeah, you are." He gently stroked her hair.

"She's probably going to show you the picture."

"And I promise it won't change the fact that I want you to be my girlfriend."

"That's good to hear."

"You want to know something even better?"

Marinette giggled. "What?"

He held her even tighter. "You didn't stutter once during our conversation."

"I guess there is hope for us," she noted teasingly while pulling away and giving him a soft tap on the nose.

Her gesture made him scrunch his face and pull her back into a loving embrace. There was something familiar about hugging Marinette that he couldn't pinpoint. Even though showing affection towards his new girlfriend was a recent development, it felt like something he'd done a thousand times before. To him, it felt like home.

They were forced apart by the sound of Adrien's ringtone. He grumbled and picked up the phone only to be reminded that he was due at the studio in twenty minutes.

"Hey, Marinette," he said, putting the phone in his pocket, "I have to go, but I'll call you later. This morning I asked if I could have time off tomorrow. If my father approves, I would really like to take you out on that date we were talking about."

Her eyes lit up, and a soft blush tinted her cheeks.

"_God, she's so adorable_," he thought with a smile.

"I would like that," she finally responded.

He stood up and grabbed her bag off the floor. "Can I walk you out?"

She nodded and latched onto his arm. He was instantly flooded with warmth and happiness as they walked side by side. Unfortunately, Lila was waiting for them in the courtyard.

"Adrien," she began, holding up her phone to reveal a picture of Marinette, "we didn't get to finish our conversation before class started. I really think that you should take a look at this. She's been stalking you for a long time, and I'd hate to see you get hurt. I took this when I tried to stop her from climbing the wall behind your house. She's obsessed with you. I mean, did you see all those posters she has of you on her wall?"

"Stop," Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, "just stop. I told you before to stop trying to hurt the people I love. Not only have you hurt Marinette in the past, but you trying to hurt her again now. I don't think I want to talk to you anymore. Goodbye, Lila."

He began to walk away when Lila called out to him. "You'll be sorry you didn't listen to me."

Marinette stopped in her tracks and let go of Adrien's arm. "Listen here, Lila. I've had enough of this. Leave us alone. Adrien doesn't want to go out with you, and there's nothing you can do that will 'turn him against me'. It's game over."

Lila sneered. "We'll see about that."

Adrien watched as his girlfriend huffed, turned on her heel, and marched out of the courtyard. She stomped down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. He stood next to her at the curb near his car and handed her the pink backpack he had been carrying. Adrien saw her take a few deep breaths before meeting his gaze.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked cautiously.

The last thing he wanted to do tonight was battle the Akumatized version of his girlfriend. Just like he knew he could never fight Ladybug, he couldn't imagine having to fight Marinette. The mere thought of it made his stomach turn.

"It's okay. I'll be fine," she shrugged, "It's not like I'll get Akumatized."

"_It's like she's reading my mind. How does she know what's bothering me when I haven't even said what it is?_"

He pulled her into another hug and whispered into her ear. "I'll call you later, okay. Will you be free to talk sometime this evening?"

She squeezed him back, stepped away, and held both of his hands in her own. "Yup! Well...I'll be free before nine o'clock. I have to do something later on tonight, ."

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"_I almost forgot about patrol_!" he scolded himself mentally.

He attempted to give her a bright smile. "Uhhh...yeah. I have something to do, as well. Besides, it's a school night. We'll see each other again in the morning."

"I'm looking forward to it!" she replied softly.

Adrien watched as Marinette walked across the street with a bounce in her step. Seeing her happy caused his heart to thump. It was at this moment that Adrien became fully content with his decision to ask her out, and he was excited to talk to Ladybug about it later. (He assumed that his partner would be relieved to hear that he'd moved on. He often wondered how she was doing with the mystery boy she'd mentioned in the past. Perhaps he would ask her about him tonight, as well.)

Marinette paused before entering her family's bakery and gave him a little wave. He returned the gesture, opened the car door, and slid into the backseat. For the first time in a long time, his heart felt full.

* * *

With a blissful sigh, Marinette glided into the bakery. Her mother cast her a knowing smile from behind the counter.

"Did I see you talking to Adrien just now? I'm guessing you two had a good conversation? You should invite him over sometime. He was such a polite boy when he came over before." Sabine teased.

"Oh, maman," Marinette twirled in place, "he asked me out! He wants to take me on a date!"

"Really? That's wonderful, sweetie! Now you'll definitely have to invite him over. Isn't that right, Tom?" Sabine looked over her shoulder as the flour-covered man emerged from the kitchen.

"What's that, dear?" he asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

"I was telling Marinette that she should invite over her _boyfriend_ some time," the woman responded with a grin.

Tom nodded his head in agreement.

"Why, yes. Of course, she should! Maybe he could...wait…" His eyes lit up. "Did you say boyfriend? Does my little girl have a _boyfriend_? When did this happen?"

"Adrien took me to lunch today, and he wants to go out on a date tomorrow night. Oh, papa! Can I please go?" Marinette asked with pleading eyes.

"_Adrien_ is your boyfriend? I knew that boy would come around! And as long as he comes over before you leave, you may go out on your date. I would like to talk to my future son-in-law."

"Papa! We only started dating today! _Please _don't embarrass me."

Tom pulled his daughter into a giant hug. "Sweetheart, don't you know that it's my job to embarrass you?"

Marinette looked at Sabine. "Maman! Help!"

Her mother chuckled. "I would also like to talk to him before the two of you go out."

"Fine," the teen said, pulling away from her father, "I'll tell him to come over when he calls later."

Her parents exchanged glances while Tom put an arm around Sabine's waist. He whispered something in her ear causing the woman to laugh and kiss his cheek.

Marinette observed her parents with a fond smile. "I hope Adrien and I can have a relationship like yours. You two are perfect for each other."

Sabine walked over to her daughter and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Something tells me that the two of you will be just fine. Now, go upstairs and get your homework done. Dinner will be ready in two hours."

"Yes, maman," she said, quickly making her way to the stairs.

Once she was in her room, Marinette squealed into a pillow that was sitting on her chaise. The excitement of the day was finally catching up to her.

"Tikki," she exclaimed, "I have a boyfriend! Adrien Agreste is my boyfriend. Can you believe it?"

"I'm so happy for you, Marinette!" the Kwami responded while nuzzling her chosen's cheek.

"Except for Lila having to go and be...well, Lila...today was wonderful!"

"And Adrien seemed to handle Chloe pretty well."

"Yeah, that was crazy. He's like the Chloe whisperer. I'll have to ask him about that some time. Perhaps there's more to their friendship than I thought."

"Maybe Adrien will help you understand her a little better."

"She's always been so awful, but seeing how she responded to Adrien today makes me wonder if it's all an act."

The two sat quietly for a moment while Marinette mulled over the events of the past few hours. The day had been a whirlwind, and there was so much to process.

"Hey, Tikki," Marinette said, breaking the silence, "I was a little distracted at the time, but Adrien said something weird at lunch. You were listening, right?"

The tiny being smiled. "Um...yes. I heard your conversation. What about it?"

"He said that he knew Ladybug, but I've only been with him a handful of times while transformed. If I really think about it, I see my other friends all the time when I'm Ladybug, but I rarely see him. I just don't understand. It doesn't make any sense."

"Yup. That's super weird."

"Right? Wait...he said that Ladybug turned him down. I've never turned down Adrien. I think I would have remembered something like that. The only person I've had to turn down is Chat."

"Right, Chat Noir. You should definitely talk to him about all of this when you see him on patrol later. I'm sure what he has to say will be enlightening."

"At first, I thought talking to him about this would be a good idea, but then I realized that I might give away too much about my identity if I did."

"No, you should definitely talk to Chat Noir. He's the only one who could possibly help you with this situation."

Marinette knitted her brows. "But, Tikki, aren't you always telling me…"

The Kwami cut her off before she could finish. "Just talk to him!"

"Wow...okay. I'll talk to him if you really think it's that important."

"I do. I really, _really _do."

Marinette shrugged, stood up, and walked over to her computer. She turned it on and got started on her homework. After all, she wasn't going to have time to do it later.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read "More Than Just a Friend".

AS PROMISED...you have finally made it to the LadyNoir chapter. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for all of the comments. Your kindness makes my heart feel full! You are all wonderful!

This fic was inspired by gale-of-the-nomads 's chat post on Tumblr.

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

Gabriel Agreste sat in his office attempting to fix his latest design. It was an evening gown, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. He took off his glasses and rubbed his brow bone.

Things had never been this difficult when Emilie was still around. When he was with her, ideas seemed to flow out of his mind. She had been his muse, and there had even been times where she made helpful suggestions. Even though she wasn't a designer, she had always possessed a keen eye for fashion.

He knew that he had to do everything in his power to bring her back. He needed Emilie. Without her, he was incomplete.

A knock sounded at his door, breaking him out of his reverie.

"Come in," he grumbled.

Nathalie pushed open the door and stood in the threshold. "Sir, Miss Rossi is here to see you. Would you like me to let her in or should I send her away?"

"Who's here?"

"I believe you called her your "pawn" a few times. It's the lying girl from Adrien's class."

"Oh, right. Her pettiness and jealousy will make for an excellent Akuma one day."

"You've Akumatized her several times already."

"And she will be even better when she's ready."

"Right...and what would you like me to do with her?"

Gabriel put on his glasses and stood up from his desk. "Tell her she has two minutes and that she better not waste my time."

Nathalie nodded and left the room. A few moments later, she returned with Lila.

"Good afternoon, Miss Rossi. Why have you come here today?" Gabriel asked without expression.

"Mr. Agreste," she began, "It has come to my attention that Adrien has been manipulated by one of our classmates. I don't know what she said to him, but she convinced him to date her. Honestly, I think she's using Adrien. I know that she wants to be a fashion designer one day, and seeing that Adrien is your son...well, it all just makes sense."

"And who is this girl?"

"It's Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Gabriel recalled hearing that name before. "Are you sure my son is dating her?"

Lila crossed her arms. "Yes! I saw them holding hands, and he even called her his _girlfriend_ in class. They went out to lunch today. Honestly, I think she's been planning this for a while. I caught her stalking him one time. Look, I even have a picture on my phone."

Lila held up the device so Gabriel could see the image of a girl sitting in a pile of trash cans behind his house. He was aware that Lila liked Adrien, and he knew she had a proclivity to manipulate others. Because of this, he took most things that she said with a grain of salt, but he had no doubt in his mind that Adrien must be dating the Dupain-Cheng girl. He could see the jealousy in Lila's eyes. It was a look that he'd seen far too many times in the fashion industry.

"Thank you, Miss Rossi, for this...valuable information. Nathalie will show you out." Gabriel retreated behind his desk and took a seat. "Good day."

Lila began walking after him. "But, Mr. Agreste, I…"

"Nathalie!" he called, cutting her off, "Would you please escort Miss Rossi to the front gate? Then, come back to my office. I would like to have a word with you."

The assistant nodded and led Lila out of the office. A few minutes later, Nathalie returned and closed the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she said with a blank expression.

Gabriel motioned for Nathalie to take a seat. "Yes, I wanted to know your thoughts regarding the information that Miss Rossi brought to me today. Has Adrien mentioned anything about a girlfriend recently?"

"You already know that most of the things that Miss Rossi tells you are lies, but I can confirm that Adrien is most likely dating Miss Dupain-Cheng. He asked me this morning if he could have time off tomorrow to spend time with her."

"Dupain-Cheng. I've heard that name before, haven't I?"

"She's one of Adrien's friends from school. She won your bowler hat competition, and she was the one who returned your book after Miss Rossi took it from Adrien."

"Ah, yes. I remember her. She was very spirited."

"Adrien seems rather fond of her. He talks about her often, and I do not believe that she is using him."

"No, I don't think she is either. Someone with talent like that at a young age doesn't need a high-profile partner to get ahead in the fashion world. Have you seen them interact before? Does Adrien appear to like her as more than a friend?"

"I would say so, sir."

"I've feared this day for a long time. I knew that he would make friends in school, but a girlfriend will be harder to control. At least he made a decent choice, and I'm starting to see a way that we could twist this in our favor."

"What then should I tell Adrien regarding his request for time off?"

Gabriel paused before answering. "Have him come talk to me when he gets home from the photoshoot. I would like to give him my answer in person."

* * *

Adrien felt jittery during the photoshoot. He received more notes than usual, and he could tell that the photographer's patience was growing thin. Adrien did his best to shove all thoughts of his love life out of his brain and finish the shoot. By the end, the photographer breathed a sigh of relief as he flipped through the photos on his camera.

"I think some of these will be usable, but we'll have to see what your father thinks," the man said as he dismissed Adrien from the set.

Adrien withered at the mention of his father, and he walked away without saying a word. However, a smile soon crept back onto his face when he remembered that he would soon have the chance to talk to Marinette on the phone. He hopped into the car and stared wistfully out the window.

Adrien hoped that she was having a good evening. He was anxious to find out if she had really calmed down after her run-in with Lila today. He had always felt a little protective of Marinette, but now that she was his girlfriend, the idea of her being in danger terrified him. Of course, he'd always been ready to defend Ladybug, but she had superpowers. Marinette was a civilian, and he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe.

By the time he got home, Adrien was anxious to talk to his girlfriend; however, he knew it was dinnertime, and he didn't want to risk the chance of bothering her while she was eating with her family. He wondered if he would be invited to the Dupain-Cheng's for dinner one day. He missed eating meals with a family, and Marinette's parents seemed wonderful. Adrien just needed to make sure that they liked the idea of him dating their daughter.

His daydreaming was interrupted by Nathalie who was standing outside the front entrance. "Good evening, Adrien. Before dinner, your father would like to see you in his office."

Adrien's heart sunk once again. Perhaps his performance at today's photoshoot did anger his father. He braced himself for a lecture as he knocked on Gabriel's office door.

"Come in," his father called from the other side.

He slowly peered into the room and saw his father sitting with a tablet at his desk. He appeared to still be working.

"What have I told you about lingering by the door," Gabriel reprimanded, "Come in and take a seat. I need to speak with you."

Adrien hung his head as he walked into the room and took a seat. He refused to meet his father's eyes in fear of seeing the older man's signature look of disappointment. Adrien flooded his mind with thoughts of Marinette to transport his brain away from this moment, but his mental barrier was shattered when his father finally spoke.

Gabriel shifted forward in his seat. "I heard something interesting happened today. Would you care to share anything with me before I begin?"

"I'm sorry about the photoshoot father. I made sure that I gave the photographer my best by the end, but I was unfocused at the beginning. It won't happen again. I hope I didn't mess anything up or cost the company money with my carelessness." Adrien closed his eyes and waited for his father's razor-sharp words.

"Actually, I haven't heard anything about today's shoot, but I will let you know later if we need to have a discussion about it. No, I heard that you asked Nathalie for some time off tomorrow. Would you like to tell me why?"

"Oh...I...um...asked a girl out today, and she said yes. I wanted to spend time with her tomorrow."

"Who is it?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She's the girl who won your hat designing contest. She wants to be a designer, and she's really talented. She cares about me, and I care about her."

"I see. Does that mean you are now dating this girl?"

Adrien took a deep breath and gathered all of his confidence before speaking again. "Yes, father. I am, and I promise that I won't let dating her get in the way of any of my activities. However, I don't care what you have to say on the matter because I won't let you stop me from having Marinette be my girlfriend."

An uncharacteristic grin spread across Gabriel's face. "I suspected that would be the case. I'm not here to tell you that you cannot date Miss Dupain-Cheng. On the contrary, I called you in to lay down a few ground rules. I knew this day would come, and I'm pleased that you picked someone who appears to have a good head on her shoulders."

"Oh...what kind of rules?"

"First, you are a public figure, so we will have to make it official to the press. I don't want rumors starting about your love life. Is Miss Dupain-Cheng ready for the attention she's going to receive?"

"I think so. I will help her if she's not, but I think she'll be okay. She designed a few things for Jagged Stone, and she got a little bit of attention then."

"If she plans on being a successful designer one day, then she will have to get used to being in the spotlight at all times. I trust that you will be a valuable resource for her. That brings me to my second caveat. I would like Miss Dupain-Cheng to hone her designing skills by meeting with me sometime to discuss her projects."

"Okay...wait..._really_? Wow, she would probably love that. I know that Marinette looks up to you as a designer."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair and put his hands together. "I'm happy to hear that. I will have Nathalie set up a time for the two of us to talk."

"Well, can I talk to her first? I don't want her to feel uncomfortable."

"Of course. While she is not my child and I cannot make her do anything, I'm going to strongly encourage this. It will help prepare her for talking to the media. It would be beneficial if she had a skill that she could market."

"So, you're having her do this just because you don't want to have the company look bad?"

"No, son. I don't want our family or her family to look bad. It would be a shame for her career to be ended before it has the chance to begin. We cannot have scandals. I do not want others to think that the only reason she is dating you is because she is trying to get ahead in the fashion world. She has a natural talent, and I want people to see that."

A flash of anger coursed through his body. "Father, are there really people who would think something like that? Marinette would never use me."

Gabriel sighed. "The world is not kind, Adrien. I only want what's best for you and for our family. One day you'll be able to see that."

His father's words gave Adrien an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. However, Gabriel was being unusually understanding today, so he decided to bury the sensation.

Adrien stood up from the chair and looked at the older man with earnest eyes. "Thank you, father. I will do my best to make you proud."

Gabriel nodded. "I have no doubt in my mind that you will. You may go."

While walking towards the door, Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. Once he closed the office door, Adrien rushed to the dining room to eat. It was getting late, and he didn't want to run out of time to call Marinette before patrol.

* * *

"Tikki, it's already 8:30, and Adrien still hasn't called me yet. What if he's changed his mind about dating me? What if he calls while I'm on patrol? Oh, he'll think that I hate him!" Marinette flopped onto her bed face first and groaned into her pillow.

The red Kwami patted her holder's cheek. "I don't think he's forgotten about you. Besides, you know how busy his schedule is. Maybe something came up. Also, you both have something to do at nine. If you're so worried why don't you just text him?"

"You're right! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because anything that has to do with Adrien makes your brain go all fuzzy."

"Unfortunately, you're right. I'm hoping that will change soon."

"I'm sure it will, Marinette. Who knows what the future holds? Things might just shock

you, and you might even surprise yourself."

Marinette giggled. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "Just text him. It'll make you feel better if you do."

Whipping out her phone, Marinette clicked on her contacts and began to compose a message. As she went to hit send, her phone began to ring. Adrien's picture flashed across her screen as she looked at the device in shock.

"Pick up the phone!" Tikki exclaimed, throwing her paws into the air.

Marinette took a deep breath and hit the answer button. "Hello?"

Adrien's voice came through loud and clear. "_Hi! I'm sorry for calling so late. My father talked to me before dinner_."

"That's okay. I still have about a half-hour before I have to go."

"_Yeah, me, too_."

"I hope you had a good conversation with your dad."

"_Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something that he told me. He knows that we're dating now, and he's surprisingly okay with it. But he wants to make a public statement about my new relationship status to avoid rumors in the press. I don't know if you really want that kind of attention, and I'm sorry if you don't._"

"Oh...umm...no, it's okay. Yeah, that's fine. You do it all the time right?"

"_Yes, I do, and it's not that bad. Well, sometimes it isn't fun, but I'll be with you the entire time. Marinette, I would never let anything bad happen to you_."

"I...thank...that's...I'm sorry I'm getting kind of flustered, and I don't know what to say."

"_It's okay. Just breathe. Would it make you feel any better to know that I'm still feeling a little nervous_?"

"Wait...why?"

"_Because you're really pretty and I like you a lot. It's taking all of my energy to not sound like a total dork every time I open my mouth_."

Marinette laughed. "You know, I think I'd like to see dorky Adrien."

"_Really? You wouldn't mind hearing my lame jokes and watching cat videos with me?_" She could hear him smiling through the receiver.

"Trust, me...you have no idea. I have this...friend...who does stuff like that all the time. If I can handle him, I can definitely handle you. He's the king of puns. Sometimes his jokes are annoying, but he actually knows how to make me laugh when I need cheering up."

"_Wow! Sounds like my kind of guy. Maybe I can meet him one day_."

"Uhhh...yeah, maybe. He's kind of...secretive. I want to respect his privacy."

"_Believe me, I completely understand. So, if your mystery friend loves puns, does that mean that I can unleash some of mine when I'm around you?_"

"Ummm…"

"_Come on...it'll be _pun-derful!"

Marinette groaned. "Oh, no! I've created a monster!"

He laughed. "_There's _purr-lenty _where that came from_!"

"Was that a cat pun?"

"_Yeah, they're my favorite kind._"

"They're his favorite kind, too. It's a funny coincidence."

"_Anyway, it's almost nine, and I wanted to officially ask you out on a date tomorrow._"

"I would love to go out with you. I've already asked my parents, and they said yes...but…"

"_But what?_"

"They want you to come over so they can talk to you first. Is that okay?"

"_Yes, of course, I'll come and talk to them, but...there's something that I almost forgot to tell you_."

"Oh?"

"_My father wants to meet with you and take a look at your designs_."

Marinette dropped the phone. She was speechless. Her fashion idol wanted to look at her designs, and she was combusting on the inside. She scrambled to pick up the phone when she heard Adrien frantically calling her name on the other side.

"_It's okay if you don't want to. I'll let him know. I don't want to make you nervous._"

"No! Don't tell him that. I want to meet with him. I was just a little shocked, but I think I've gotten it out of my system for now."

"_You sure?_"

"I may or may not freak out again when we hang up."

"_Alright, well...just don't get hurt. I would really like for my girlfriend to be in once piece when I see her tomorrow morning._"

She squealed, causing him to laugh. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to hearing you call me your girlfriend."

"_Well, I hope you do because I'm not letting you go_."

"And I don't plan on going anywhere."

"_That's good to hear. Now, as much as I would like to keep talking to you, I think both of us have something to attend to in a few minutes. I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette. Goodnight._"

"Goodnight, Adrien."

Marinette hung up the phone and fell onto her chaise and screamed into a pillow. "Tikki! That was amazing! Did you hear? Mr. Agreste wants to look at my designs sometime. It's a dream come true! And Adrien! He really does care about me! Could this day get any better?"

Tikki sighed. "The night isn't over yet. You have to go on patrol now."

"You're right. It's time to be responsible."

"Don't forget to talk to Chat."

"I won't. TIKKI, SPOTS ON!"

* * *

Ladybug was already at their meeting spot when Chat touched down on the rooftop.

"Good evening, my lady. It's a _paw-sitively purr-fect _evening if I don't say so myself. How are you _feline _tonight?" He was beaming.

Ladybug looked up at him with a pensive smile. "Hello, Chat Noir. Come sit with me."

"Does the lady have something on her mind?"

"I do."

"Care to share? I'm all ears. Did you have a good day today?"

"I had the most incredible day, _chaton_."

"I'm sensing there's a 'but' there."

"It was also the most confusing day I've ever had. Before I came out for patrol, I was so excited, but then I started thinking more and more about what happened...and I feel a little conflicted."

"Alright, how about you start at the beginning?

Ladybug let out a long sigh. "Okay, you know how I said that there's a boy that I like? Well, he asked me to be his girlfriend today, and I said yes. I didn't even think he noticed me!"

"That's wonderful, Bugaboo! I also wanted to talk to you about something similar. I got a girlfriend today, as well. So, you can rest assured that I won't be jealous of your mystery boy."

"Oh, Chat! That's wonderful! I hope she makes you happy."

"She really does. I don't think I've ever felt this way before. However, I'm sensing that maybe you're not completely happy." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Ladybug slumped. "I am! I'm so so so happy. My heart might explode with joy at any second, but he told me something today that's bothering me."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that he loved me."

"And...you don't love him? Or was he moving too fast?"

"Don't get me wrong...I do love him, but I don't know if I'm quite ready to say that to his face yet. I'm not exactly the smoothest around him. No...he told me that he loved _Ladybug_...romantically."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and what made it _really_ confusing is that he apparently fell in love with Ladybug because he had a close personal relationship with her. I've almost never talk to him while I'm transformed. He's never around! And to top it all off, he even told me that he moved on from Ladybug because I rejected him. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn't lying, but I have never turned him down."

Chat's brain stopped working. He shook his head in an attempt to process what Ladybug had just told him. It was like watching the pieces of a puzzle come together after spending months trying to figure it out.

"_I said that to Marinette earlier_," he thought, "_How could Ladybug know that? Have Marinette's eyes always looked that blue? Has Ladybug's voice always sounded like that? This can't be happening. I'm not this lucky._"

Ladybug waved her hand in front of his face. "Hey, Chat? You okay? What do you think?"

"That's crazy, Bugaboo." He opened his mouth to say something else, but no sound came out.

"Right? Well, let me know if you have any other thoughts on it. I'd love to hear what you have to say, but it's a school night. I don't want to stay out too late, so I won't have time to meet up again when we're done. We can continue this conversation another time. I'm going to start patrol and then head home. I'll see you later, Chat."

Ladybug unsheathed her yoyo and swung off into the night. Chat stayed completely still. He didn't think he would ever be able to move again.

Finally, after sitting silently in the dark for thirty minutes, he whispered, "Oh my, God. I'm dating Ladybug."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read "More Than Just a Friend".

Enjoy some reveal shenanigans!

Thank you so much for all of the comments. Your kindness makes my heart feel full! You are all wonderful!

This fic was inspired by gale-of-the-nomads 's chat post on Tumblr.  
-

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

Chat ran across the rooftops and nearly crashed into a closed window while leaping into his room. He detransformed and collapsed to the ground. He sat on his knees and raked his fingers through his hair while Plagg hovered in front of his face.

"So...you figured it out." The black Kwami sighed. "Finally. It took you long enough."

"PLAGG, MARINETTE IS LADYBUG," Adrien exclaimed.

"Yes, I know."

"LADYBUG IS MARINETTE."

"I know that, as well."

"LADYBUG IS MY GIRLFRIEND."

"Look, kid, these are wonderful facts and all, but I already know all of this. I'm interested to see what you're going to do with this information." Plagg crossed his arms.

Adrien's eyes grew even wider. "Oh, God...I didn't think about that."

"Well, if we're being honest, you haven't really done much thinking in the past hour."

"What am I going to do, Plagg?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I think...I think I want to tell her. I mean...I can't keep this a secret from her forever, right?"

"Good. I was hoping you would say that." Plagg phased into the cabinet attached to the computer desk where his cheese was hidden.

Adrien opened the cabinet and looked at his Kwami. "What are you doing?"

The tiny being popped a wedge of camembert into his mouth. "I'm eating a snack before we go over to Marinette's house."

"Woah...wait...no, no, no." Adrien waved his hands in front of him. "Are you crazy? I'm not telling her tonight! I'm not ready."

Plagg flew over to his holder and poked him in the chest. "Look, kid, I have not worked this hard just for you to do nothing."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tikki and I are tired of you two running around each other. We need you two to become stronger as partners, and you already liked Marinette. It seemed like a win-win for everyone."

"And Tikki is Ladybug's Kwami?"

"Yeah. Where do you think I got that Valentine from?"

"Wait...are you telling me that you and Tikki set us up?"

"Yup."

"And you let me tell Marinette that I was once in love with Ladybug? Why didn't you stop me? Don't you care about secret identities?"

"There is a time and a place for secret identities, and Hawkmoth keeps getting stronger. Lovesick and heartbroken Miraculous wielders do not make good heroes."

"Are you telling me that…"

Plagg cut him off. "...that we'll be able to move past this Hawkmoth nonsense faster if you two are acting like the soulmates you're supposed to be? Yes."

Adrien shook his head. "No, I was going to make a comment on how you actually care about me."

"I do, but don't you want to know more about the whole soulmate thing?"

"That's honestly the least surprising thing about all of this. I fell in love with the same girl two times. How could she not be my soulmate?"

"Touché. Now, let's go before it gets too late. I would like to get _some_ sleep tonight."

Adrien melted into a puddle on the floor. "Noooo!"

Plagg groaned. "But she's your _soulmate_, and I really want to see Tikki. She's my other half, and not being with her hurts me just as much as not being with Marinette hurts you."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

"Kid, there's no need to be sorry. It was important for the two of you to discover each other's identities on your own, but now that you know, _please_ for the love of cheese...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."

Adrien sat-up and looked his Kwami in the eyes. "You're right! I'm going to do something!"

Plagg did a celebratory flip in the air. "Perfect! And what are you going to do?"

The teen slumped. "I don't know. I love her, and I don't want her to hate me. What do I say? What do I do? How do I do this?"

His Kwami zipped over to Adrien's desk and retrieved the Valentine draft. "Alright, listen to me very carefully, and do exactly as I say."

* * *

Marinette yawned as she climbed into bed. "Tikki, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about today. I'm so happy to be Adrien's girlfriend, but I'm still feeling weird about the whole Ladybug thing. And Chat wasn't really all that helpful. He was uncharacteristically quiet when I talked to him."

The red Kwami sighed. "Everything will work out in its own time."

"I guess you're right. Besides, I can always talk to Chat again tomorrow."

Tikki clasped her paws together. "Have you considered maybe talking to Adrien about it? He is your boyfriend.

Marinette knitted her brows. "You can't be serious, Tikki. You've always told me that I have to be careful with my identity. Are you suggesting I tell Adrien that I'm Ladybug?"

"No, I'm encouraging you to tell him about your feelings on the matter without giving anything away."

"That sounds impossible." Marinette laughed. "Could you imagine what Adrien would say if he found out that I was Ladybug?"

Tikki's eyes grew wide. "Ummm...yeah, I can actually."

"Really?"

"He would probably have _the same exact _reaction as Chat Noir. Have you ever noticed how _similar _they are?"

"Don't make me laugh, Tikki! Adrien and Chat are two completely different people."

"Are they though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are they really that different?"

Marinette grew silent as she compared the two boys in her mind. "_Now that I'm getting to know Adrien better, they do have an awful lot of similarities…wait, no...yes?_"

"They have the same smiles. When they're happy, their faces light up. When they're sad, their eyes are distant."

"Anything else?"

"He smells like cedar...and a little bit like cheese sometimes."

"Who smells like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said he. I don't know which boy you're talking about." Tikki smiled.

Marinette knitted her brows. "Oh, I guess I don't either. Umm...both?"

"Whatever you say," the Kwami said with a lilt in her voice.

Her mind began to wander. "_What if they're not that different? What if they're the same...wait, no. Yes? Maybe?_"

She turned to her Kwami. "Hey, Tikki?"

The tiny being looked at her with expectant eyes. "Yes, Marinette?"

"You know who Chat is right? You saw him when we detransformed when we fought the Dark Owl."

"I've seen him."

"Do you think that…"

"Yes?"

"Well...umm...never mind." Marinette flopped back onto her pillow and massaged her temples.

Tikki sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I think it's time for bed now."

"Okay. Sleep well. Things will make more sense in the morning."

Marinette closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, she finally began to doze, but her eyes shot open upon hearing a crash on her balcony.

* * *

Adrien vaulted across the rooftops until he reached Marinette's house. He leaned against the railing on her balcony before working up the courage to walk towards the windowed hatch above her bed. Unfortunately, before reaching the entrance to her room, Chat ran into a table and knocked over one of Marinette's plants. He groaned and collapsed to the ground when he saw the shattered pot.

"_Maybe this isn't such a good idea. The universe is obviously trying to tell me something_," he thought, "_I should just go home before I do any more damage_."

Chat stood up and brushed the dirt off of his suit. He sighed before unsheathing his baton and readying himself to leap off the balcony.

"Good evening, Chat Noir," said a small, squeaky voice, stopping him in his tracks, "I was hoping that it was you who made all that noise up here. I'm guessing that you figured it out."

He turned around to see a small, red Kwami hovering above the hatch. "You're Tikki...Ladybug's Kwami."

"Yes, I'm Tikki. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"It's really nice to meet you, too! Plagg told me all about you before practically shoving himself inside of the ring. He's really looking forward to spending time with you again."

"I'm happy to hear that he talked to you. Now, I assume you're here to talk to Marinette. Is that correct? I've been trying to get her to connect the dots all evening, but having you reveal your identity might be the only way to go at this point."

Chat's whole body slumped. "I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I can do it. I don't want her to be mad at me. I already poured my heart out to her once today, and I don't know if I can do it again. We just started dating, and she's never been all that receptive to Chat Noir. What if she breaks up with me? There are so many thoughts and worries swirling around my brain, and it's making it hard to concentrate."

Tikki flew over to him and nuzzled his cheek. "Everything will be okay. Marinette loves you...all of you. It's kind of like how you finally realized that you had a crush on Marinette. You loved Ladybug for so long, and I know that it hurt you every time she turned you down. Marinette has loved Adrien since the day she met him. Because of that, she pushed away her partner because she was afraid of falling in love with him, as well. It hurt her every time she had to say no to Chat. I could see it in her eyes when she talked to me about it. She may be open about her feelings for Adrien, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't care about Chat Noir. She'll be a little shocked at first, but Marinette will be so happy to find out that you're Adrien."

He felt his body relax. "Thank you, Tikki. I needed to hear that. You know, you're much sweeter than Plagg. He also gives me pep-talks, but they're _way_ different."

"You know he cares about you right? I've never seen him connect with someone like he has with you. He may not say it out loud, but he really does love you."

"And I love him. He's annoying sometimes, but I honestly can't imagine my life without him."

Tikki flitted away and put crossed her arms. "Alright, it's time for you to go in there and talk to Marinette."

Chat took a deep breath and toyed with the zipper on one of his pockets. "Right. I can do this."

"Yes, you can! However, I have to warn you that she's a little on edge. The noise that the flower pot made when it broke startled her a little bit. Right now, she thinks that I'm making sure that you're not an Akuma, but I've been gone for so long that it's probably freaked her out even more. Also, the fact that she can probably hear our muffled voices out here is _not_ helping."

"I'm going to take a guess and say that when it comes to fight or flight that she falls in the "fight" category?"

"When it comes to Akumas, yes. Just give me a second to calm her down so she doesn't

throw a shoe at you or something. I'll let you know when it's okay."

Chat could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Tikki phased through the window hatch. His mouth went dry when the red Kwami returned and waved for him to come down.

Upon entering the room, he saw Marinette sitting up in bed. She was holding a pillow in front of her face while sporting a tearful expression. His heart broke when he heard his girlfriend choke back a sob. All his apprehension melted away and was replaced with the need to comfort Marinette.

He placed a clawed hand on her cheek and gently wiped away a tear. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

Marinette looked up. "You found out my identity. That puts both of us in danger, and Fu is going to be mad. I don't know what I did to give myself away, but I messed up. I failed."

He pulled her into a tight embrace (pillow and all). "No, you didn't fail. Please don't cry, Princess. This is the second time I've seen you cry today, and I meant it when I said I would do anything for you."

She pulled away and knitted her brows. "What? I don't understand. You didn't say anything like that to me today. The only person who said something like that was…"

Marinette cut herself off and gasped. Adrien unzipped one of the pockets on his suit and pulled out the Valentine draft. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the familiar paper in his hands.

She squeezed the pillow even tighter. "When you said you figured out that I wrote the Valentine...where did you get that?"

Chat scratched the back of his neck. "Plagg gave it to me. Last night I told him that I wished that Ladybug was someone I knew, and I used you as an example. He called me out on it, and that's when I realized that I had a crush on you. I was too afraid to ask you out, and he showed me this when I woke up. It gave me the confidence boost that I needed."

"Well, it looks like you got your wish."

"Yeah...I still can't believe I fell for the same girl twice."

"Tell me about it. There were a few times that I considered giving into Chat's flirting. He was very convincing sometimes."

"Hey...ummm...do you think it would be okay if I detransformed? Plagg was telling me that he really wanted to hang out with your Kwami, and I think I owe it to him right now."

"Yeah, sure. That's fine."

He smiled and called off his transformation. Marinette shielded her eyes from the bright green light that left Adrien in Chat's place.

Plagg flew over to Marinette and hovered in front of her face. "Hey, little bug."

She giggled "Hello, Plagg! It's nice to see you again."

"Same. Hey...uh...could you do me a favor?"

"Umm...sure?"

"Could you take care of him for me? He needs more love than he lets on."

Adrien crossed his arms. "Hey!"

Marinette reached up and scratched Plagg between the ears. "Always. He's never going to be able to get rid of me."

The black Kwami nuzzled her hand. "Thank you. That's good to hear. I'm happy to see that Tikki got such a good bug this time."

Without saying another word, Plagg zipped off with Tikki to the other side of the room, leaving the two teens to talk.

"Did…," Adrien hesitated, "...did you really mean that? That you wouldn't leave me?"

Marinette slowly put the pillow down and scootched closer to Adrien. "Of course, I meant that. Did you really think that I would go away?"

"That's what scared me the most about telling you that I was Chat Noir. We just started dating today, and you've never really liked Chat like that. Tikki told me that you did care, but it's nice hearing it from you.

She threw her arms around him and pulled him close. "The two most important people in my life are the same person. Why would I give that up?"

"Thank you, Marinette." He breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. "You know...you haven't stuttered once since I got here."

"Why would I get nervous around my partner? I may trust Adrien with my heart, but I trust Chat with my life. Believe it or not, this is a game-changer. You're my best friend...who I just so happen to be in love with."

"I'm in love with you, too...all of you."

"I know, _mon minou_."

He moved back far enough to see her face and look her in the eyes. "So, I know we just started dating and all, but I suddenly feel a whole lot closer to you. You don't have to say yes, but I was wondering...well...we've done it twice before, but I don't remember either of them. What I'm trying to ask is…"

Before he could finish, Marinette's lips crashed on top of his. His eyes flicked closed as he leaned into the kiss. Initially, it was passionate and filled with longing, but as it continued, it became gentle and loving. Adrien decided that he liked both kinds, and he was suddenly very excited to try more kinds of kisses in the future.

He smiled beneath their locked lips, causing Marinette to laugh.

"Kitty! I wasn't done!" she teased him with a smirk.

"How did you know I wanted to kiss you?" he asked while resting his forehead on hers.

"You're my partner, and you seem to be forgetting that I speak fluent Chat."

"Well, this kitty just learned some new words, so _purr-haps_ we could go back to building our vocabulary...you know...with our lips...together."

"AND there's the puns! Adrien Agreste, you were not lying when you said you were a dork."

"But I'm _your _dork."

"_Fur-ever_ and always, _Chaton_."

He grinned. "Did you just pun for me?"

"I never said I didn't like puns," she responded playfully.

"Now I'm _definitely_ in love. Plagg was right...you are my soulmate."

"Would my soulmate like to try kissing again?"

Adrien gulped. "Yes, please."

Their lips met once again, and Adrien never wanted it to end. He and Marinette kissed, cuddled, and talked until Tikki came over to remind them that they had school the next day. With a groan, Adrien reluctantly let go of his girlfriend, bid her goodnight, called for his transformation, climbed through the hatch, and vaulted off into the night.

* * *

Marinette waved goodbye as Chat disappeared onto the balcony. Once he was gone, she happily flopped back onto her pillow.

"Are you feeling better about everything?" Tikki asked while settling onto her pillow.

Marinette sighed contentedly. "Tikki...you were right about everything! I'm so hap...wait. You've known that Chat Noir was Adrien since we fought the Dark Owl."

"Um...yes, but I couldn't say anything to you."

"And Adrien said that Plagg gave him the draft of the Valentine that I wrote for him. That paper was the bottom of the chest in my room."

"Oh, wow. Would you look at the time? You must be feeling sleepy after having such a long day!"

"How did Plagg get ahold of that paper?"

The red Kwami closed her eyes. "Goodnight!"

Marinette laughed. "Goodnight, Tikki. I may not know exactly what happened, but I'm grateful for all that you did. Thank you."

Her Kwami responded with a small hum while Marinette turned over and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, Marinette fell asleep while looking forward to the next day.


End file.
